Major challenges

DFID: Working to reduce poverty in Burundi

Governance | Education | Health | Vulnerable children

In the six years to April 2008, DFID provided about £38 million in aid to Burundi. Our programme expanded over this period, and in the financial year 2008-09, we plan to give a further £10 million.

DFID is working with other donors to support Burundi’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy and helping to create sector-wide approaches for health and education. Burundi is among the first countries to benefit from the International Health Partnership, which aims to improve the way that international agencies, donors and poor countries work together to develop and implement health plans.

Governance

DFID has invested in a joint three-year, £6 million governance programme with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). We have developed a number of projects to strengthen governance in Burundi, including initiatives to give the public a voice in how the country is governed. and a substantial programme of

Education

DFID provided (through Unicef) £2 million to the education sector in 2005, in support of the government’s commitment to free primary school education, announced in that year. This money went towards the financing of the extra classrooms, teachers and books required for this expansion.

With other donors, we have recently agreed joint funding for the government’s education sector strategy, and have allocated £2 million a year to this over the next three years.

Health

In 2006, DFID helped the Burundi government implement its introduction of free health care for all women giving birth and for all children under 5. As a result, the number of medical consultations involving children increased by 42% and the rate of childbirths in health centres rose by 61% and Caesarean sections by 80%. We contributed £1.5 million to the initiative and are planning a substantial project to build on its success. This will include help to extend free health care to all pregnant women from the start of 2009, which will affect an additional 200,000 women every year.

Vulnerable children

DFID has a three-year £5,150,000 programme to improve the access of 30,000 orphans and other vulnerable children to health care, education and social support, and to increase their economic self-sufficiency.